There is a confluence of dangerous events occurring that have the potential to trigger global catastrophe at the end of the lifespans of the generation that endured human civilization’s greatest one. They are nearly all gone. Eleven years from now, it is estimated that there will be less than 1,000 American veterans left out of 16 million that served in the Second World War. Today, there are slightly more than 100,000 alive from a war that killed 400,000 Americans, and defined an era that came to be known as the “American century.”
Yesterday I watched a new Documentary on Hulu. It was “The Hidden Testimony” of the Nuremberg trials. The highlight was of new audio that was discovered. In fact all of the trials had been recorded. As I watched and listened, especially the part about propaganda, I felt angry and realized I have been walking around with this anger for several years now. I also realized a couple of other things, or maybe realized is not correct, but a moment of reality sunk in. 1. This Republican Party is no different than the words I heard spoken by those Nazis on trial. None. 2. The complete disdain for anyone “other”, their lack of value for human life. Yes, they proudly thump their chest and declare they are pro-life, but they are not.
It is not so much that one person in the party is the new Hitler, it is that the philosophy of the whole is the new Hitler, the new Nazi.
Lately I read calls to fight back, call out the lies of the GOP, to hold them accountable for what they say. It does not matter and it makes no difference. Just as Goebbels remained defiant, arrogant, knowing of the outcome, so do the Republicans. He continued his lies, his allegiance with a degree of arrogance that was breathtaking. So do our modern Goebbels.
No answers here. Some wishing. Wishing the DOJ would step up, had stepped up sooner. That voters in states like mine would stop voting blindly for the person with an “R” after their name, that we will reach the “enough is enough”, before it is to late.
Your accurate grasp of history is impressive and you ability to recognize the ominous situation we are facing with this thoughtless and morally-lacking Republican Party should be read and digested by ALL Americans. Keep talking!👍
Jan 31, 2023·edited Oct 25, 2023Liked by Steve Schmidt
The depth, nuance, and comprehensive nature of your thesis is worthy of an entire college course. Alas, there are few academic institutions in the country which come even remotely close to studying let alone discussing what you have written, in what was likely one sitting. Our US willful ignorance of history is appalling. Without our understanding of it (as Lisa Beardsley has intimated in this thread), our ability to think critically is severely diminished. I humbly offer this quote:
“History gives answers only to those who know how to ask questions.” Hajo Holborn, German-American historian (1902-1969)
For many years I had a picture in my office with the phrase "When the winds of change blow, adjust your sails". The ship in the picture had eyes on the prow: a throwback to those of ancient times that expected the ship to see them through difficult waters to a safe harbor.
Steve, I would agree that the winds of change are blowing, and blowing hard. The potential for catastrophe is real and may swamp us. The potential for sailing through the change to a better world are also there. It's called a ship of state for a reason, and we're all in the ship together. Catastrophe and success are both are in our hands. Catastrophe comes from not doing anything; success comes from direct action to stop the internal and external evil we face, and yes they're woven together. We can do this, we can stop the evil, if we want to. What will you do to help right the ship, adjust the sails and go forward to a better safe harbor?
Here’s the issue for me: why are extremists elected in districts of our country? Yes, it is important to call out the American fascists and, yes, this feels like Weimar (at least to me) as I have been saying for more than a year without assurance that very many people know what I’m referring to.
But here’s the bottom line in my view: our electoral process is such that only creeps, crooks and nutjobs will run. And then they get elected by low-information voters who don’t know that reality TV is fake.
America has become a deeply ignorant country. Financial and social grievances run deep no matter how much money the government gives out.
Why? We are so rich. We are so spoiled. The question to me is this: what’s in the American spirit that runs so deep and defies generational change that we find ourselves on the brink of trading Democracy for kleptocracy and fascism.
When crimes are left unpunished there is no balance in the universe. I listened to that line in the movie 47 Ronin last night and thought it made sense. However, after further thought I have come to realize that people are not rational beings. We are emotional beings and we let our perceived reality sometimes over-rule actual reality. This is not only dangerous but as we all have seen can be deadly. Many of the people who have been tried and convicted for January 6th thought they were in the right. However, what they perceived and acted on were lies. If you expand this rationalization then you understand how wars become reality out of perceived injustices. This is why truth matters so much and those who pervert and distort truths are so evil. So yes, when crimes are left unpunished people feel grieved. Balance, truth and forgiveness are the only things that can save our civilization from killing each other and destroying our humanity.
I have been carefully watching and learning from political behavior . It is a culture shift brought to you by the many years of MCConnel. The grift , the greed, the rascism against a black president , the Tea Party, Limbaugh and Fox News hate and capitalism at all costs. The stock market rises and falls and more important than ANYTHNG. . Capitalism breeds greed. Money is the root of all evil as the saying goes. I think the rascism coupled with capitalism in our government has moved people to be narcissistic and no longer think about the human conduction . These are dark times and I fear a major world wide event to cure people of their ilks. Those of us that survive .
I love the way you write, Steve. Your message is clear all the damn time . It saddens me the way the world has become . I worry, awaken in the night about our adult children still making their way thru this terribly dark dark time. Your last sentence speaks to the Republican Congress and its lack of character .
All brought to you by the dark money of media , businessss having more power than people . Capitalism at all costs . Money and greed coupled with rascism insulates the wealthy people and companies from seeing and doing the right thing. Examples are, miss placed safety switches for Boeing, cancer producing parts in Philips machines, lack of necessary baby formula, production from Abbott, more recently egg production. Businesses are seeking profitability at all costs. The human condition is no longer paramount to our way of life, the GOP, dark money, advertising and media are contributing to the detriment of society as a democracy. When businesses and racists have all the power, we are doomed.
Again, my Canadian perspective is the same. Everyday I find myself asking has gone so wrong.
I’m a boomer. I was a teenager in the sixties. Yes, my generation went on to become well educated not only in colleges
university and trade schools. But, the big but is what happened?
The 80’s produced an era of I’m wealthier than you. Architecture
was about how big your house was and how many Palladian windows you had. You were no longer a sales person but a sales associate. I won’t go on but everything then became some dystopian dream. And it’s gone on to be a world lacking in plain old common sense.
I feel the next generations will not be able to govern. Everything has been done for them. And I blame us for not looking out for more self sufficiency, more empathy and more consciousness of “what’s going on”, thank you Marvin Gaye
We may still have a choice. Either we wake up and vote good people into government.
Think twice before driving a block to pick up something. And definitely read such brilliant articles like the warning or reliable news information. We definitely cannot turn our backs now. Sadly we’re all to removed from anything so many ignore it and that “many” are the ones could change our world.
Steve Schmidt, you are a hero for what you do! We need your continued clarion call, your gift of wisdom, reason and truth to blow-back these winds of turmoil.
MacArthur is right. Schmidt is right. Moral bankruptcy leads to a bad, bad place. I pray for the future of our country and our world for my children and grandchildren. The myopia of our citizens is heartbreaking. How can sane people follow Gaetz, Gosar, Greene and the rest of the insanity caucus know as the Republican party? Oh, I forgot! R good, D bad. We have lost our way, almost beyond help and hope. I pray not.
Yes Steve, this is a moment in which decency and respect must re-emerge as the central defining character of our collective politic. We must face history and learn the lessons that we bought and paid for with the tens of millions of human lives sacrificed to hatred in the twentieth century. The question you properly frame is clear; will a global generation of politicians and citizen-activists emerge, united by a shared vision of peace , justice and respect?
The United States entered a period of moral decay beginning with Nixon. The advent of the internet and social media with instant news, information and opinion without restraint or regard for facts and the inability of the Justice Dept to hold obvious criminals accountable have exacerbated the situation we are in. It’s seems we have crossed the rubicon as too many Americans are (excuse my candid opinion ) dumb af and can’t tell truth from lies, fact from fiction, but are also poisoned by religion to the point of being no different then jihadists. They will never attain a level of education or ability to think critically enough to get us out of this mess. The next few years will be interesting to say the least.
Important reflexions and almost philosophical prognostication at this point.
As Professor Cox Richardson is fond if noting, the future is unwritten.
While we can in part employ the past as a predictive blueprint, there is no.way we are able to extrapolate expectations based in historical dynamic, as here we are confronted with such an amalgam of the bizarre, absurd, and unhinged, all of which lend forte to one another, that we are nearly met with a novel species who are, at best unpredictable!
It would seem we need some sort of profound reset in order to restore humanity across the board. If not, most assuredly we have not met the bottom.
Thank you Steve for your knowledge of history, your intelligent writings, your insights on our republic and mostly your honest assessments of this evil and destructive MAGA GOP. I'm so glad I decided to subscribe here.
Yesterday I watched a new Documentary on Hulu. It was “The Hidden Testimony” of the Nuremberg trials. The highlight was of new audio that was discovered. In fact all of the trials had been recorded. As I watched and listened, especially the part about propaganda, I felt angry and realized I have been walking around with this anger for several years now. I also realized a couple of other things, or maybe realized is not correct, but a moment of reality sunk in. 1. This Republican Party is no different than the words I heard spoken by those Nazis on trial. None. 2. The complete disdain for anyone “other”, their lack of value for human life. Yes, they proudly thump their chest and declare they are pro-life, but they are not.
It is not so much that one person in the party is the new Hitler, it is that the philosophy of the whole is the new Hitler, the new Nazi.
Lately I read calls to fight back, call out the lies of the GOP, to hold them accountable for what they say. It does not matter and it makes no difference. Just as Goebbels remained defiant, arrogant, knowing of the outcome, so do the Republicans. He continued his lies, his allegiance with a degree of arrogance that was breathtaking. So do our modern Goebbels.
No answers here. Some wishing. Wishing the DOJ would step up, had stepped up sooner. That voters in states like mine would stop voting blindly for the person with an “R” after their name, that we will reach the “enough is enough”, before it is to late.
Your accurate grasp of history is impressive and you ability to recognize the ominous situation we are facing with this thoughtless and morally-lacking Republican Party should be read and digested by ALL Americans. Keep talking!👍
The depth, nuance, and comprehensive nature of your thesis is worthy of an entire college course. Alas, there are few academic institutions in the country which come even remotely close to studying let alone discussing what you have written, in what was likely one sitting. Our US willful ignorance of history is appalling. Without our understanding of it (as Lisa Beardsley has intimated in this thread), our ability to think critically is severely diminished. I humbly offer this quote:
“History gives answers only to those who know how to ask questions.” Hajo Holborn, German-American historian (1902-1969)
For many years I had a picture in my office with the phrase "When the winds of change blow, adjust your sails". The ship in the picture had eyes on the prow: a throwback to those of ancient times that expected the ship to see them through difficult waters to a safe harbor.
Steve, I would agree that the winds of change are blowing, and blowing hard. The potential for catastrophe is real and may swamp us. The potential for sailing through the change to a better world are also there. It's called a ship of state for a reason, and we're all in the ship together. Catastrophe and success are both are in our hands. Catastrophe comes from not doing anything; success comes from direct action to stop the internal and external evil we face, and yes they're woven together. We can do this, we can stop the evil, if we want to. What will you do to help right the ship, adjust the sails and go forward to a better safe harbor?
Here’s the issue for me: why are extremists elected in districts of our country? Yes, it is important to call out the American fascists and, yes, this feels like Weimar (at least to me) as I have been saying for more than a year without assurance that very many people know what I’m referring to.
But here’s the bottom line in my view: our electoral process is such that only creeps, crooks and nutjobs will run. And then they get elected by low-information voters who don’t know that reality TV is fake.
America has become a deeply ignorant country. Financial and social grievances run deep no matter how much money the government gives out.
Why? We are so rich. We are so spoiled. The question to me is this: what’s in the American spirit that runs so deep and defies generational change that we find ourselves on the brink of trading Democracy for kleptocracy and fascism.
When crimes are left unpunished there is no balance in the universe. I listened to that line in the movie 47 Ronin last night and thought it made sense. However, after further thought I have come to realize that people are not rational beings. We are emotional beings and we let our perceived reality sometimes over-rule actual reality. This is not only dangerous but as we all have seen can be deadly. Many of the people who have been tried and convicted for January 6th thought they were in the right. However, what they perceived and acted on were lies. If you expand this rationalization then you understand how wars become reality out of perceived injustices. This is why truth matters so much and those who pervert and distort truths are so evil. So yes, when crimes are left unpunished people feel grieved. Balance, truth and forgiveness are the only things that can save our civilization from killing each other and destroying our humanity.
What is past is prolog.
I’m not so thrilled about the Democrats who aren’t arming Ukraine as much and as fast as they should be. WTF are they waiting for???
I have been carefully watching and learning from political behavior . It is a culture shift brought to you by the many years of MCConnel. The grift , the greed, the rascism against a black president , the Tea Party, Limbaugh and Fox News hate and capitalism at all costs. The stock market rises and falls and more important than ANYTHNG. . Capitalism breeds greed. Money is the root of all evil as the saying goes. I think the rascism coupled with capitalism in our government has moved people to be narcissistic and no longer think about the human conduction . These are dark times and I fear a major world wide event to cure people of their ilks. Those of us that survive .
I love the way you write, Steve. Your message is clear all the damn time . It saddens me the way the world has become . I worry, awaken in the night about our adult children still making their way thru this terribly dark dark time. Your last sentence speaks to the Republican Congress and its lack of character .
All brought to you by the dark money of media , businessss having more power than people . Capitalism at all costs . Money and greed coupled with rascism insulates the wealthy people and companies from seeing and doing the right thing. Examples are, miss placed safety switches for Boeing, cancer producing parts in Philips machines, lack of necessary baby formula, production from Abbott, more recently egg production. Businesses are seeking profitability at all costs. The human condition is no longer paramount to our way of life, the GOP, dark money, advertising and media are contributing to the detriment of society as a democracy. When businesses and racists have all the power, we are doomed.
Again, my Canadian perspective is the same. Everyday I find myself asking has gone so wrong.
I’m a boomer. I was a teenager in the sixties. Yes, my generation went on to become well educated not only in colleges
university and trade schools. But, the big but is what happened?
The 80’s produced an era of I’m wealthier than you. Architecture
was about how big your house was and how many Palladian windows you had. You were no longer a sales person but a sales associate. I won’t go on but everything then became some dystopian dream. And it’s gone on to be a world lacking in plain old common sense.
I feel the next generations will not be able to govern. Everything has been done for them. And I blame us for not looking out for more self sufficiency, more empathy and more consciousness of “what’s going on”, thank you Marvin Gaye
We may still have a choice. Either we wake up and vote good people into government.
Think twice before driving a block to pick up something. And definitely read such brilliant articles like the warning or reliable news information. We definitely cannot turn our backs now. Sadly we’re all to removed from anything so many ignore it and that “many” are the ones could change our world.
Steve Schmidt, you are a hero for what you do! We need your continued clarion call, your gift of wisdom, reason and truth to blow-back these winds of turmoil.
MacArthur is right. Schmidt is right. Moral bankruptcy leads to a bad, bad place. I pray for the future of our country and our world for my children and grandchildren. The myopia of our citizens is heartbreaking. How can sane people follow Gaetz, Gosar, Greene and the rest of the insanity caucus know as the Republican party? Oh, I forgot! R good, D bad. We have lost our way, almost beyond help and hope. I pray not.
Yes Steve, this is a moment in which decency and respect must re-emerge as the central defining character of our collective politic. We must face history and learn the lessons that we bought and paid for with the tens of millions of human lives sacrificed to hatred in the twentieth century. The question you properly frame is clear; will a global generation of politicians and citizen-activists emerge, united by a shared vision of peace , justice and respect?
The United States entered a period of moral decay beginning with Nixon. The advent of the internet and social media with instant news, information and opinion without restraint or regard for facts and the inability of the Justice Dept to hold obvious criminals accountable have exacerbated the situation we are in. It’s seems we have crossed the rubicon as too many Americans are (excuse my candid opinion ) dumb af and can’t tell truth from lies, fact from fiction, but are also poisoned by religion to the point of being no different then jihadists. They will never attain a level of education or ability to think critically enough to get us out of this mess. The next few years will be interesting to say the least.
Important reflexions and almost philosophical prognostication at this point.
As Professor Cox Richardson is fond if noting, the future is unwritten.
While we can in part employ the past as a predictive blueprint, there is no.way we are able to extrapolate expectations based in historical dynamic, as here we are confronted with such an amalgam of the bizarre, absurd, and unhinged, all of which lend forte to one another, that we are nearly met with a novel species who are, at best unpredictable!
It would seem we need some sort of profound reset in order to restore humanity across the board. If not, most assuredly we have not met the bottom.
Thank you Steve for your knowledge of history, your intelligent writings, your insights on our republic and mostly your honest assessments of this evil and destructive MAGA GOP. I'm so glad I decided to subscribe here.